HARRISBURG — Signs of conservative discontent have emerged in what has often appeared a unified caucus of Republicans in the state Senate.

A second GOP senator in two weeks has written to Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware, with complaints about Mr. Pileggi’s stewardship of Republican legislative goals.

Sen. Don White, R-Indiana, claimed in a letter Friday that Mr. Pileggi has refused to allow votes on several conservative initiatives — ending automatic dues deduction for public-sector unions, remaking pension benefits for state and school workers, ending the state’s business selling liquor — and said he would not support another term as majority leader for Mr. Pileggi, who was first elected to that post in November 2006.

“You have succeeded in fracturing our caucus and bastardizing the committee process to promote an unknown agenda that is debilitating to our caucus and, more importantly, our commonwealth,” Mr. White wrote in a letter copied to the full Republican caucus.

His message follows a Sept. 26 letter in which the caucus’ newest senator, Scott Wagner, R-York, suggested that Mr. Pileggi was too cozy with labor unions. Mr. Wagner, whose write-in campaign toppled the Republican-endorsed candidate in a special election in March, was just as direct in his critique of the Republican floor leader.

“By prohibiting important legislation from advancing to the floor for a vote, it is apparent to me that you are the No. 1 obstacle in the Senate,” Mr. Wagner wrote. “I want to be clear and express to you openly and directly that I support a change in leadership.”

After Mr. Wagner’s letter, top Senate Republican leaders released a statement noting that the heart of the Republican leadership team had been in place for several years and had “effectively spearheaded numerous legislative accomplishments.”

“Sen. Pileggi is an integral part of that team, and as majority leader, he has worked with the members of our caucus to pass significant legislative reforms and initiatives, including this session’s passage of Pennsylvania’s historic transportation infrastructure plan,” said the statement from Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati, Appropriations Committee Chairman Jake Corman and Republican Whip Pat Browne. “We are proud of what we’ve accomplished together and look forward to continuing that record of success.”

They noted the “diverse backgrounds” represented in the caucus: Senate Republicans represent areas with a spread of ideological perspectives, from conservative parts of rural Pennsylvania to the more moderate suburbs outside Philadelphia.

In interviews, Mr. Wagner and Mr. White alluded to a failure by members from the southeast to join the caucus in supporting some initiatives.

“We have too many free agents, and they’re geographically located mostly in the southeast part of Pennsylvania,” Mr. White said.

Mr. Pileggi responded by letter Friday “to correct a number of factual errors and errors of omission” in Mr. White’s claims about various pieces of legislation. He offered no broad defense of his leadership, other than noting that he supports allowing discretion by Senate committees, but addressed the status of bills Mr. White cited, some of which Mr. Pileggi said are on track for a final vote.

In the case of one bill Mr. White mentioned, to put limits on the growth of spending in the state budget, Mr. Pileggi said “no member of the caucus, including you, requested that this bill be advanced.”

For the most part, other Republican senators refrained from speaking publicly about the dispute, at least for now. In the days after Mr. Wagner’s letter, numerous caucus members did not respond to requests to discuss the claims about Mr. Pileggi’s leadership.

In a phone interview, one conservative member, Sen, John Eichelberger, R-Blair, said Mr. Wagner’s complaint came down to whether the Republican leader should call floor votes for bills that have the support of a majority of Republicans but not enough total votes to pass.

“We don’t run bills that we can’t get passed by the Senate,” Mr. Eichelberger said. “It may be time to discuss that policy decision and see if we want to put some bills up for a vote, whether they pass or fail on the Senate floor, so we have a record of people who are for or against a certain issue.”

He said he was not ready to discuss how he might vote in the Senate Republican leadership elections in November.

Mr. White, for his part, said in recent days that he would not want Mr. Pileggi’s job and that he likes the majority leader personally.

“He’s a great guy. He’s an intelligent guy. He’s an articulate person, but as far as leading our caucus, when you’re sitting in Harrisburg with a majority in the House, Senate and a Republican governor and not being able to get some certain things done, that’s unacceptable to me,” Mr. White said.

First Published: October 13, 2014, 4:00 a.m.